Formaldehyde-fumigator.



PATENTED AUG. 4, 1903.

L. FEVAL. FORMALDBHYDB FUMIGATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8. 1902.

aan

E0 MODEL.

Patented August 4, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

LEON FEVAL, Oli"V NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY.

FORMALDEHYDE-FUNIIGAT SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 735,660, dated August 4, 1903.

Original application iiled March 22, 1902, Serial No. 99.393

. Divided and this application i'lled June 6, 1902. Serial No. 110.405. (No model.)

To LZ-Z zzz/tom, z'xb may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON FEVAL, a citizen of the Republic of France, and a residentof the city of New Brunswick, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Formaldehyde-Fumigators, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple,cheap, and effective means for producing formaldehyde gas in small quantities for various uses and particularly for disinfecting and sterilizing purposes.

Heretofore formaldehyde gas for disinfecting as well as other purposes has been obtained direct from methyl alcohol by wellknown forms of generators or from formaldehyde solution by well-known forms of regenerators, whereby the formaldehyde is reverted into the gaseous state, or from the polymers of formaldehyde, generally known as parafornn paraformaldehyde, and trioxymethylene, by heating said material, which, as is well known, reverts to the gaseous form whenheated to about130centigrade The application of heat to the polymers of formaldehyde for this purpose has been accomplished in various ways-such, for instance, by an alcohol-lamp placed under a suitable container in which the material is placed, or by a combustible substance placed in proximity to a candle or tablet of such material, or, as shown in my Patent No. 676,814, dated June 1S, 1901, by burning part of the material, and in which instance the material is formed into a candle or cylindrical block, either pure or mixed with some other substance, and .which candle or block is in a metallic container and wherein the candle is dcsigned to be ignited at the bottom. The heat developed by the burning of the lower end of the candle causes the material of the bulk of the candle to revert to or give off formaldehyde gas.

My present invention is an improvement over the arrangements heretofore devised for obtaining formaldehydega-s from the polymers of the formaldehyde, and particularly over the device shown in said Letters Patent.

It is well known that in generating formaldehyde gas unless the gas is caused to mix or combine with'a sufficient quantity of Watery vapor the formaldehyde gas will polymerize and form what is generally known as paraform, paraformaldehyde, and trioxymethylene. Itis also well known that if these polymers of formaldehyde are heated to the pi'operldegree they will revert to the gaseous state and that said gas will repolymerize unless it is caused to mix or combine with a suitable quantity of watery vapor. lt is also well known that in generating formaldehyde gas from methyl alcohol or regenerating formaldehyde gas from formaldehyde solution the water present in both instances is converted into vapor, which mixes or combines with the gas and prevents polymerization, thus making the gas effective for disinfection and sterilization.

Various ways have been heretofore proposed for causing the mixture or combination of watery vapor with formaldehyde gas obtained from the polymers of formaldehyde. In one well-known form of apparatus tablets of paraform are heated in a suitable container by the ame of an alcohol-lamp, and the apparatus is so designed that the watery vapor produced by the combustion of the alcohol is caused to mix or combine With the fr' maldehyde gas, so as to prevent repolymerization. In the device shown in my patent above referred to the moisture of thevatmosphere was depended upon to prevent repolymerization; but I have found in practice that repolymerization is not prevented in all localities.

In carrying my present invention into effect I preferably make a mixture of four parts of paraform, paraformaldehyde, or trioxymethylene and four parts of a saturated solution of calcium chlorid. As a substitute for the calcium chlorid l may employ two paris of water and two parts of glycerin. The proportion of these two mixtures might be varied without departing from the spirit 1 of my invention. The purpose of the Water in these two mixtures is to furnish sufficient moisture to prevent the repolymerization of the formaldehyde when the mixture is heated. The purpose of the calcium chlorid or MSIBY rcerin in such mixtures is to prevent the ,ter of the mixture from vaporizing before e heat is sufficient to cause the mixture to ve off formaldehyde gas. If the chemical t or the glycerin were not employed, the iter would vaporize before formaldehyde s is given off. It will therefore be seen at by the addition of the chemical salt or ycerin in such quantity that the water of e moisture will vaporize at approximately e same temperature at which formaldehyde ts is given oif I am enabled to maintain .e formaldehyde gas so produced in a gasus state-that is to say, preventing re- )lymerization-and thereby obtain effective .sinfection or sterilization. This mixture ay be molded ,into any desired form for nnmcrcial use, and in practice may be heatiby any well-known means to the desired miperature-that is to say, a tablet or block this mixture might be heated over a lamp by being placed in proximity to or in contct with any suitable combustible substance hich will burn at a comparative slow and niform rate. In the preferred form, howver,I mold the mixture in cylindrical or other lbular form and apply the heat internally y means of a heater composed of a combusble material adapted to be placed in the bore f the fumigator and which when ignited urns at a slow rate and practically without ame. This heater in some instances might `e an ordinary candle or wick soaked in alohol or other infiammableliquid, or it might e a block of the so-called solidified alcool, which is a palmatc or oleate of sodium `r any soap containing a large percentage of ylcohol; but in the preferred form this heater s a stick composed of powdered charcoal nade into a paste containing about two per rent. of nitrate of potash or nitrate of soda to upport combustion and a sufficient solution )f an adhesive substance. This mixture may )e molded or pressed into any desired form tccording to the shape given to the fumigator.

My invention is illustrated in the accomyanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an elevation of my improved umigator in its simplest form; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the support for ,the paraform sablet shown in Fig. l, and Fig. 3 a sectional View of a modied form in which the mixture zontaining the material which gives off formaldehyde gas when heated is pressed into a suitable container.

Referring to Figsl and :2,A is a tubulartablet containing paraform or other substance which when heated reverts to or gives off formaldehyde gas. This tablet is supported upon a carrier B, which may be made of tin or any other suitable material, preferably non-combustible. -As shown, the support is intended to be stamped from tin or other sheet metal in one piece. The legs are formed by punching out strips d, which are bent inward on a horizontal line, so as to afford a support for thgheat e r C. This heater, as above stated is molded into the desired form, preferably cylindrical, and is composed of a mixture of cl1arcoal,about two per cent. of nitcr (commercial nitrate of pot-ash or nitrate of soda,) and an adhesive solution. It will be noted that the bore of the tablet A is larger than the diameter of the heater C, so that when the heater is placed in position there will be sufficient space to give the required d raft. The heater may be ignited either at the top 6r bottom, gut preferably at the bottom, so that it will urn upward. It will be seen that the tubular tablet A forms a jacket for the heater and connes the heat to a large extent, and thus performs the function of the metallic container of my patent above referred to.

In practice for the purposes of transporta- `tion and to guard against breakage in use and -to facilitate manufacture I prefer to place the completed tablet or the mixture employed in making the tablet in a container made of any suitable non-combustible material, such as tin or asbestos, or cardboard made nonfor instance. by coating the cardboard with silicate of soda or silicate of potash or by dipping the cardboard in a solution of phosphate of ammonia or carbonate of ammonia and subsequently drying the same. In Fig. 3 I have illustrated such a container made of tin in cylindrical form. This container preferably has an outer cylindrical wall D and an inner Wall D', tapering toward the top. The mixture A is pressed into the chamber formed by the walls D and D', and, if desired, I may provide a cap composed of a ring E, provided with holes e, and a piece of wire-gauze E', the function of the latter being to prevent any possibility of the formaldehyde gas becoming ignited. The heater C is supported by strips d, punched from the outer Wall D and bent upward, as shown. The shape of the heater will correspond to the shape of the inner Wall D', and its diameter throughout will be less than that of the inner bore of the container, so as to leave an air-space around the heater. The holes formed at the bottom of the outer wall D by punching out strips d will permit entrance of air to give draft and support combustion. In practice the heater will be ignited at the bottom.

In some instances instead of making a mixture containing a polymer of formaldehyde, as above stated, I may make a tubular tablet composed of threeparts of plaster-of-paris and two parts formaldehyde solution. In heating such a tablet formaldehyde gas is regenerated and mixes or combines with the watery vapor given off and prevents repolymerization. Instead of making a tablet of solution I may fill the container shown in Fig. 3 with such mixture.

I do not claim herein the tablet or the combination of the tablet and the heater, since combustible by any suitable process-such,

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plaster-of-paris mixed with the formaldehyde Y this feature of my invention is claimed in my application filed March 22, 1902, Serial No. 99,393, of which this application is a division.

What I claim is- 1. As a new article of manufacture, a noncombustible tubular container having a double wall, a mixture placed between thel .walls of said container composed of a polymer of formaldehyde, water, and an ingredient which raises the vaporizing-point of the .water when heated and which mixture when heated gives oif simultaneouslyformald ehyde gas and watery vapor, and a heater within said container. v

2. As a new article of manufacture, a noncombustible tubular container having a double wall, a mixture placed between the walls of said container composed of a polymer of formaldehyde, water, and a chemical salt and which mixture when heated gives 0E simultaneously formaldehyde gas and watery vapor, and a heater within said container.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a non combustible container havin'g a cylindrical outerwall and an inner all tapering toward i the top forming a receptacle, a material between the walls of said container which when heated gives olf a disinfectinggas, and a heater within said container.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a non-` combustible container having a cylindrical outer wall and an inner wall tapering toward the top, a mixture between the walls of said maldehyde gas, and a block supported withl f in the inner wallof said chamber and containing charcoal a'nda substance which supports'combustion. i

6. As a new article of manufacture, a non- M f combustible container having a cylindrical` n' outer wall and an inner wall tapering'toward the top, a material between the walls of saidv container which when heated gives o formaldehyde gas, and a long tapering block f supported within the inner wall of said chamber and containing charcoal and a substance which supports combustion.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a noncombustible container having a cylindrical outer wall and an inner wall tapering toward the top, a material between the walls of said opening' formed by the inner wall and an annular perforated cap covering the chamber formed by the two walls, and a heater within said container.'

9. As anew article of manufacture, anoncombustible container having a cylindrical outer wall and an inner wall tapering toward the top, a material between the walls of said container which when heated gives oi formaldehyde gas, supports d punched from the lower portion of the outer wall, and a block,

containing charcoal and a substance which supports combustion carried by said supports.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a noncombustible container having a cylindrical outer wall and an inner wall tapering toward the top, a material between the walls of said container which when heated gives oif formaldehyde gas, a cover for said container comprising a piece of wiregauze and an annular perforated cap, supports d punched from the lower portion of the outer wall, and a block containing charcoal and a substancewhich supports combustion carried by said supports.

11. A container for a volatile disinfecting composition formed of an outer tube and a tapering inner tube, a support within the outer tube near its base, a heater mounted upon ysaid support, and extending into said inner tube.

12. A container for disinfecting composi- IOO tions having an outer casing and a tapering i inner wall, a support formed of struck-in portigons of the casing, and a heater mounted on said support and within said inner Wall.

13. A container for disinfecting compositions having an outer metallic casing, a tapering inner wall secured within the outer casing, a support within the casing at its base,

-and a heater mounted-upon said support.

This specification signed' and witnessed this 5th day of June, 1902. v

LEON FEVAL.

Witnesses:

-WM. PELZER, HUGO BOEPPLE.

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